About the Center

The Center in Political Economy was founded by Professor Douglass North in 1982. The current director, Professor Norman Schofield, joined the Department of Economics and the Center in 1986, and took over as director in 1990. Douglass North was co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his path-breaking work in creating what is essentially the new discipline of political economy.

The focus of the Center will be to continue developing these new ideas through collaboration between political scientists, economists, members of the Olin Business School and School of Law.

The Political Economy of Democracy and Tyranny

One theme that has emerged from the recent literature on political economy concerns the transition to democracy:
Why would dominant elites give up oligarchic power?...Read More

CPE Seminar Series

There are no upcoming events at this time.

September 2011

A proud alumnus of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A. Economics ’04; M.A. Political Economy and Public Policy ’05), Rob Holahan recently completed his Ph.D. in Political Science under the guidance of economics Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom.

...Read More